Garment-forming apparatus.



N0. 628,434. Patented July 4, |899.

l. B. KLEINERT.

GARMENT FORMING APPARATUS.

(Applicagion med Aug. 22, 189s.) i (N0 HWSL) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

j "i f 'f' llllllillll WITNESSES: INVENTOR Patented July 4, |899. y l. B. KLEINERT. GARMENT FOBMING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 22, 1898.) No Modal.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

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' N0. 628,434. Patented July 4, |899.

|. `B. KLEINERT.

GARMENT FOBMING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 22, 1898.) i

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

uml k I fl' INVENTOR jm@ l ATTOR N EY l `UNITED STArEs PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC B. KLEINERT, CE NEW YORK, N. Y., AssIGNoR To THE I. E. KLEIN-ERT RUBBER CCMPANY, or WEST VIRGINIA.

GARNI ENT-FO RMING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 628,434, dated July 4, 1899. I

Application iled August 22, 1898. Serial No. 689,25 7. (No model.)

To au tlf/1,0711, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC B. KLEINERT, a

'citizen of the United States, and a resident of material have been stretched singly over and attached to a flat former and while so held stretched into shape have been submitted to a setting or vulcanizing process, or they have been pressed into shape by means of male and female dies and While so heldv between and in close contact with the surfaces of the dies have been vulcanized by means of a hot medium applied to the dies, which have been made hollow for this purpose, or they havev been formed in large quantities at one operation by folding a long piece of the material in reverse folds, then by means of two sets of suitable formers or shapers arranged to act on the reverse folds pressed or forced into shape, and then While so held between the formers or Shapers have been submitted to a setting or vulcanizing process. In all of these methods the articles have been cut from the formed and set material by suitable knives or dies; but in the last-mentioned method several of the articles have been cut at one operation from the several folds of the' material. y

My present invention follows the general lines of the last-mentioned multiple manufacture of articles from flexible material, which is described in the United States Letters Patent No. 352,330, issued to me November 9, 1886, and embraces a .new method of procedure, which consists in first folding the material into reverse parallel folds, then heating the folded material to facilitate the forming or stretching of the same, then by pressure applied to the reverse folds atY right angles thereto forming the material into the desired shape, then submitting the material while held in the folded and formed condition to a setting or vulcanizing process, and then cutting the articles from the folds -of the formed material. The setting orvulcanizing of the material may be produced bya continuing heating of it after it is formed into shape or by the action thereon of a suitable vulcanizing-vapor.

The apparatus devised by me as a part of this invention com prises alower set of doublewalled or hollow formers, over which the material is folded and held while being heated before being formed or stretched, a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to the interior of the formers, another upper set of double-walled or hollow formers or Shapers similarly provided with heating-pipes and adapted to be placed between the other set of formers in the folds of the material, so as to assist in heating the same and to be forced down into the folds so as to shape the folds of the material into the desired shape after the material is sufficiently heated to better facilitate the stretching or forming process without injury to the material, a bench or table on which the lower set of formers rest, a vertically-moving platen or head to which the upper set of Shapers are attached, means for supporting and actuating this platen or head, and a box or casing arranged to surround the formers and Shapers, so as to completely inclose them when the material is being preliminarily heated and during the formation or stretching of the material and the setting or vulcanization of the same. All of these parts, With other features of construction, will be fully described by reference now had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevation of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents the forming and shaping devices as they are caused to act on the goods. Fig. 4 shows a modification of the arrangement of the heating-pipes for the formers or shapers. Fig. 5 represents apiece ot' material folded and formed or shaped ready to be cut into dress-Shields. Fig. (i is a sectional elevation similar to Fig. l, Showing a modification in theconstruction of the lower formers of the machine.

The formers by which the material is held in folded condition while being preliminarily heated and the Shapers which act on the folds of the material to force it into the desired shape are arranged and caused to act in substantially the same manner as the corre- Spondin g parts of the apparatus shown in the before-mentioned United States Letters Patent; but these formers d and the Shapers b are made hollow, with their walls diverging from their operating edges, thus providing wedge-shaped spaces in their interiors,'open at the base, and combined with these form ers a and shapers b are the heating-pipes d and c, respectively,arranged in the interiors of them, So as to quickly and uniformly heat them and by radiationof the heat from their surfaces promptly raise the temperature of the material located in folded condition between them to a degree under which the stretching will take place most advantageou sly, said material being subjected to heat by radiation from the formers and Shapers sufficiently long to insure the stretching of it and the distortion of the fabric in contact with it without tearing or injury to them.

The lower stationary formers a and their heating-pipes c are supported on.a suitable bench or table e, and they are in closed at their undersidebythetroughorboxf. Theinletand outlet pipes bywhich steam or other hot duid is caused to pass through the pipes c by their headers c' extend down through this trough f. The formers a are by their ends secured to the end pieces g, so as to be firmly held in properly-spaced parallel positions, and these end pieces are provided with the Slots g between each of the formers. These formers a, as well as the Shapers b, may each be cast in one piece or be made of two pieces of sheet metal, shaped at their forming edges into the desired form and there connected together, as by rivets, and spread apart at their other edges to produce the heating-Spaces for the steam-pipes. Formers and Shapers thus constructed are simple and cheap to make. They -retain the heated air in their interiors and cause a uniform distribution of the heat to the material folded between them. The forming edges of the formers CL have supportingpoints on'which the folded material rests, and the Shapers b have convex-formed edges to correspond to the form of the article to be made.

The upper shapers b and heating-pipes d are secured to the head 7L, fitted and actuated in any suitable manner, so as to reciprocate vertically above the stationary formers a, to bring the Shapers b between the formers a. The means Shown in the drawings for actuating the head 7i consists of two sets of cranks t', whose connecting-rods t are pivoted to the head h and whose shafts fit in bearings of the fram@ j, Which is firmly secured to and depends from the ceiling j. To each of the shafts of the cranks is secured a worm-wheel 7c, in which meshes a worm 7c', carried by the shaft Z, also having bearings in the frame j, and on the end of this shaft is a chain or rope pulley m, provided with an operating chain or rope m. The head h has upwardly-extending guide-rods 7L', iitted to slide in guideways in the frame j and which insure the proper vertical reciprocation of the head. The operation Of this part of the machine will be readily understood, the limit of the downward movement of the head h to cause the Shapers bvto enter the formers a to stretch the material the desired extent being determined by the adjustable stop-Screw h2, against which one of crank-arms strikes when the head h is moved downwardly. Flexible connections to the headers d of .the Steam-pipes d, as hose d2, provide steam-Supply for the different positions occupied by the head 7L. By this construction and arrangement of parts the lower station ary formers are entirely clear of obstructions, leaving the-workman or workmen free access to all parts in applying theanaterial to the formers and removing it therefrom after it has been formed into Shape. The roll of combined stockinet and rubber material n is suitably supported at one end of the machine, the end of the material from the roll being placed over the formers d, fastened to the end former, and folded down between the form ers successively, bars a being used to force the folds of the material between the formers, the bottoms of the slots in the end pieces g determining the depth of the folds. The edges of the goods are held by the pins a? at the ends of the formers.

"W hen the material n is folded over all of the formers d and separated from the roll, the folding-bars having been removed, the upper Shapers b are let down until their forming edges about come inf contact with the lower folds of the goods, as shownby the full lines in Fig. 3. At this time the sides of box o, which is carried by the head h, but is free to slide thereon, come in contact with the frame e by Seating in the groove e', formed in its upper side, thus completely inclosing `the formers and Shapers in a practically air-tight box. The heating medium is now allowed to pass into the pipes c and d, thereby heating the formers and Shapers and by radiation therefrom uniformly warming the folded Amaterial fa to such a degree as will facilitate the perfect stretching of the folds to the desired extent. The machine is left in this position a Sufficient length of time for this purpose, when the head 71 with the Shapers, is forced down to the extent necessary to do t-he desired stretching of the material, the head 7L sliding down the box O to the same extent. The machine is left in this position with the ICO IOS

IIO

folded stretched material subjected to the heat until properly cured or vulcanized. The sides of the folds of the material are clear of and do not make contact with the sides of the formers and Shapers during the preliminary heating of the material and during the stretching or forming of the same, so that the various parts of the material are'in no way restrained in their movements when being stretched or formed.

Fig. 5 represents a part of the folded combined stockinet and rubber material stretched or formed into Shape for the manufacture of dress-shields, the dotted lines n indicating the lines of cutting, which iS done by means ofasuitably-formed knife-die through Several folds of the formed goods at one time after it has been su fiiciently vulcanized and removed from the machine.

The modification Fig. 4 represents a. different arrangement of the heating-pipes in relation to the formers or Shapers, showing one of the Shapers I) with the pipes d3 at right angles thereto instead of being parallel therewith, as Shown in the other Views.

Other ways may be employed for folding the goods and holding them folded during the preli minary heating and stretchin g processes,

such a modification in the machine being shown in Fig. G. In this view the vertical traveling head h, shaperslo, and heating-pipes d, dac., are the same as shown in Figs. l and 2; but the lower formers p are independent and tted to slide in the guideways q, so that they are adapted to be drawn apart to the extent of their connecting-lili ks r and chains fr', these links and chains being ot' such a length that the spaces between the formers p will equal the length of the goods necessary. for

each fold. These for mers are, as shown, preferably made hollow in the same manneras the other formers and Shapers, and the heating-pipes s are arranged to b e directly'nnder the formers when the formers are closed together, as Shown at the right-hand side of the figure, each of the pipes s being provided with an open-top trough s', So arranged that the edges of the Same are in close proximity to the lower edges of the formers, thus making practically-closed chambers of the formers for the retention of the heat when the goods are on the formers in folded condition undergoing the heating and stretching processes. To apply the goods n to Such a folding device,` the formers are first drawn apart at both ends of the machine, as Shown at the left of the gure, the goodsY laid along and over the tops of them and secured by their ends to pins t, projecting from the end formers, and by their edges to pins t', projecting upwardly from the ends of the formers. The' formers are then closed together, So as to be directly over the heating-pipes s, the goods falling down between the formers into folds during the closing operation. The upper Shapers b are then lowered toI enter between the folds of the material, and the subsequent `operations are the same as already described in relation to the form of apparatus inl Figs. l and 2.

I claim as my invention-- l. In a machine for forming articles of iiexible material, the combination of a set of wedge-shaped hollow open base-formers, a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to the interior of the form ers, troughs or open-top boxes located beneath the formers a platen or head fitted to be moved vertically toward and from these formers, a Set of wedgeshaped hollow Shapers and a Series of heatingpipes arranged to impartheat to their interiors secured to the platen or head, and means for moving the head to cause the Shapers to be placed between and cooperate with the formers to heat and form the material carried by the formers.

2. In a machine for forming articles of flexible material, the combination of a setV of wedge-Shaped hollow formers, a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to the interior of the formers, troughs or open-top boxes located beneath the formers a platen or head fitted to be moved vertically toward and from these formers, a set of wedge-Shaped hollow Shapers and a Series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to their interiors secured to the platen or head, means for moving the head to cause the Shapers to be placed between and cooperate with the formers to heat and form the material carried by the formers, and a box or casing surrounding the formers and Shapers, thus forming a heatchamberin which the formers and Shapers are surrounded by a heated medium.

3. In a machine for forming articles of flexible material, the combination of a Set of wedge-shaped hollow formers, a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to the interior of the formers, a platen or head fitted to be moved vertically toward and from these formers, a set of wedge-Shaped hollow Shapers and a Series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to their interiors secured to the platen or head, means for moving the head to cause the Shapers to be placed between and coperate with the formers to heat and form the material carried by the formers, and a box or casing carried by the head but free to Slide thereon and adapted to surround and inclose the formers and the Shapers in their different relative positions while cooperating to preliminarily heat the material and to inclose them in a heated chamber while the Shapers are pressed into the formers to form the material carried by the formers.

4. In a machine for forming articles of ilexible material, in combination, a set of formers, a bench or table on which the formers rest, a set of movable shapers adapted to set between and cooperate with the formers to shape the material held by the formers, a reciprocating head to which the Shapers are attached, means for reciprocating the head, and a box or casing carried by the head but free to slide thereroo IIO

on and formed to seat in the upper edge of the table or bench so as to surround and in-- close the lformers and Shapers when in operative position, thus constituting `a heat-retaining chamber for the material while being preliminarily heated and while being subsequently formed and vulcanized.

5. In a machinefor forming articles of fiexible material, in combination, a set of formers, a bench or table on which the formers rest, a set of movable Shapers adapted to ft between and cooperate with the formers to shape the material carried bythe formers, a reciprocating head to which the Shapers are attached, means for reciprocating the head, a box or casing carried by the head but free to slide thereon and formed to seat in the upper edge oi" the table or bench so as to surround and inclose the formers and. Shapers when in operative position, and an adjustable stop for determining the distance the Shapers are allowed to enter the formers. y

6. In a machine for forming articles of ilexible material,the combination ofa set of wedge- Shaped hollow formers, a table or bench provided with guidewa'ys in which the formers are fitted to slide, connections between the formers to determine the extent of their separation, a Series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to the interior of the formers, a platen or head tted to be moved vertically to ward and from these formers, aset of wedgeshaped hollow Shapers and a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to their interiors secured to the platen or head, and

shaped hollow formers, a table or bench provided with guideways in which the formers are fitted to slide, connections between the formel-s to determine the extent of their separation, a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to the interior of the vformers, a platen or head fitted to be movedvertically toward and from these formers, a set of wedgeshaped hollow Shapers and a series of heating-pipes arranged to impart heat to their interiors secured to the platen or head, means Vfor moving the head to cause .the Shapers to be placed between and cooperate with the formers to heat and form the material carried by the formers, and a box or casing carried by the head but free to slide thereon and adapted to surround and inclose the formers when they are closed together andthe Shapers in their different relative positions while cooperating to heat and form the material carried by the formers.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 8th day of August, A. D. 1898.

ISAAC B. KLEINERT.

Witnesses:

I1. A. GRIMZBURG, J AMES J. HANNAN. 

